Russian Genealogy Research

If you have Russian ancestry you are probably aware that making progress on your Russian genealogy research usually involves onsite research at some point. Russia is a country that doesn’t have as many records digitized and available online as other countries, nor are there as many useful records that have been microfilmed and made available at places like the Family History Library (located in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, the FHL houses the largest collection of genealogical records in the world). Instead, historical records usually need to be obtained from civil registration offices, and often these office have strict rules and procedures that must be followed.

Russian Genealogy Records

Also, Russian civil registration began in 1919 but did not obtain widespread compliance until 1926. Earlier records were kept by the churches – with some beginning as early as the 1720s – but it is important to know which religion your ancestors belonged to so that you can search the appropriate records since they are all kept in different places. It is helpful if you know the names of other members of your ancestor’s family so that you can search for full families to make sure you’ve identified the correct individual.

Understanding Russian Boundary Changes

Another thing to keep in mind is boundary changes over the course of history. While your ancestors’ post-immigration records may say they are from ‘Russia’, the location they originally came from may now be in a different country that is no longer a part of the modern-day Russian boundaries.

Because of the difficulties with obtaining Russian records, it should be understood that Russian genealogy research generally requires a lot of effort and patience. It can take several months to make even the slightest amount of progress, but when the correct family is found and the lines are extended, it makes all the waiting worth it!

Our Team of Professional Genealogists Can Help

The professional genealogy researchers on our team have experience working with onsite agents to get through the red tape and obtain records onsite often necessary for Russian genealogy research. They are experts at locating the town of origin for your ancestors, determining where that town is located today, deciphering the information on records in many languages, and leaving no stone unturned to help you extend your Russian family history.

Our Genealogist Team

Hand-picked, tested and trained, our genealogist team knows how to find your story. We are based near the world's largest family history library and also work with researchers around the globe.

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